Charming Gruner Vetliner, Laurenz V

Laurenz Moser's grandfather once told him "Concentrate on the important tasks in life and do them well. The art of good Grüner Veltliner is to cultivate perfect grapes and simply not ruin them in the cellar!"

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   I am fortunate enough that I too spent time with my grandfather, and he as well shared much the same philosophy with me: what you do, do well. One would think that this philosophy is redundant; that all people must think and feel much the same. But the bitter truth in life, and in winemaking, is that not everyone does.

   How powerful it is then, as a writer and  wine steward, to see a resurgence in quality (as opposed to quantity). There was a time in the wine-world, not so long ago, when quality truly was hit-or-miss, and an aficionado had to be well versed in the market to avoid the pitfalls. These days, one can almost (stress almost) pick any bottle of wine off of a shelf in a reputable winestore and be pleasantly surprised.

   Part of the reason for this is winemakers like Laurenz Moser V. and his grandfather, professor Dr. Larurenz Moser III (who systematically re-invented grape trellising and revolutionized that part of the industry right across Europe).  Gruner Vetliner (known as GruVe to the hips kids in Vienna) is the only grape that Laurenz V works with and work with it he does; releasing five different examples of the most important grape in Austria.

2005 "Charming" Gruner Vetliner by Laurenz Moser V
Kamptal region, Austria
http://www.laurenzfive.com/
$30 CAD   **** EXCELLENT VALUE ****
http://tagliquorstores.com/fox-reach/

soil:   granite, gneiss, mica-slate
vines:   2/3rds are over 30 years old

maturation:   100% steeltank (stahltank), kept on the lees as long as possible

• visual:   clear; medium intense gold-hay core with slight watery rim
• nose:   clean; medium+ intense still developing aromas similar to Riesling; light petrol, plastic, but with a rich exotic fruit background of pineapple and caramel, strong mineral backbone running throughout, finish of small wildflowers
• palate:   clean; dry, moderate+ (crabapple and red currant) acids, moderate+ alcohol, moderate+ body, moderately intense and developed flavors that mimick the nose quite well, emphasis on crabapple and red currant to open the palate with racy minerality throughout and a distinct pineapple/apricot finish
• conclusion:   this wine has reached it's zenith; enjoy now to 2014 as the concentration of flavors is rich, the acids have lots of life. I would assume that by 2015 it will be starting it's decline. Will not improve with aging
• PAIRINGS:   want simple pleasure? pair this with raclette which is a beautifully browned and bubbling cheese symphony... the the acids will keep the fatty cheese from overpowering and the light aromatics will balance the heaviness from the raclette as well

the vineyards in KAMPTAL

   Laurenz Moser V is the fifth generation of Mosers to enter the world of winemaking since 1125. How fantastic for him then, to sit in the vineyard with his twin daughters and watch as they too learn the words of their great-grandfather:

   "What you do in life is worth doing well."

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!